Grammar: Phrases

 

1.   A phrase is a group of words that stands together as a single grammatical unit, typically as part of a clause or a sentence.

 

2.    A phrase does not contain a subject and verb and, consequently, cannot convey a complete thought.

 

3.   A phrase contrasts with a clause. A clause does contain a subject and verb, and it can convey a complete idea.

 

4.   Easy Examples of Phrases

Let's start with a sentence that has no phrases and then build some in.

 

·         Janet eats cakes daily.

(This sentence has no phrases. All of the parts of the sentence are single words.)

 

·         My cousin Janet eats cakes daily.

(Now we have a phrase. It's a three-word phrase functioning as the subject of this sentence. Note that the phrase itself does not contain its own subject and verb.)

 

·         My cousin Janet eats cakes during the week.

(We've added another phrase. This one also has three words, but it is functioning as an adverb.)

 

·         My cousin Janet was eating cakes during the week.

(We've added another phrase. This one has two words. It is a multi-word verb.)

 

·         My cousin Janet was eating cream cakes from the bakery during the week.

(We've added another phrase. This one has five words. It is functioning as a direct object in this sentence.)

 

Common Types of Phrase

Here are some examples of the common types of phrase.

i.             Adjective Phrase

An adjective phrase is a group of words headed by an adjective that modifies a noun. In these examples, the adjective phrases are shaded and the head adjective is in bold.

 

·         Dexter had noticeably evil eyes.

(Here, the adjective phrase modifies "Dexter.")

 

·         Victoria was immensely proud of us.

(Here, the adjective phrase modifies "Victoria.")

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ii.           Adverbial Phrase

An adverbial phrase is a group of words that functions as an adverb. In these examples, the adverbial phrases are shaded.

 

·         He sings in a low register.

(Here, "in a low register" modifies the verb "sings." As it is headed by the preposition "in," this adverbial phrase is also a prepositional phrase.)

 

·         Luckily for us, we arrived just in time.

(Here, the adverbial phrase modifies the verb "arrived.")

iii.          Noun Phrase

A noun phrase consists of a noun and all its modifiers. In these examples, the noun phrases are shaded and the head nouns are in bold.

 

·         How much is that doll in the window?

(Here, the head noun is ‘doll.’ ‘That’ is a modifier. ‘In the window’ is also a modifier (a prepositional phrase functioning as an adjective describing ‘doggy.’)

 

·         You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans.

(Here, the modifier ‘of eating jellybeans’ is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adjective describing ‘way.’

 

iv.          Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that consists of a preposition, its object (which will be a noun or a pronoun), and any words that modify the object. In these examples, the prepositional phrases are shaded and the prepositions are in bold.

 

·         I lived near the beach.

(As is the case here, a prepositional phrase can stand alone as a single unit within a sentence. Here, the prepositional phrase is an adverb of place.)

 

·         How much is that doll in the window?

(Quite often, a prepositional phrase features in another phrase. Remember this example from above? Here, the prepositional phrase is functioning as an adjective describing ‘doll’. It is part of the noun phrase ‘that doggy in the window’.)

 

·         You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans.

(Here, the prepositional phrase is functioning as an adverb modifying ‘can tell’. Notice that the highlighted prepositional phrase includes another prepositional phrase (‘of eating jellybeans’)